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New Straits Times
02-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Hao Sheng prepared for Davis Cup double duty
KUALA LUMPUR: Koay Hao Sheng is looking forward to taking on a new role as Davis Cup playing captain for the men's national tennis squad later this month. Malaysia will be playing in Group IV of the Asia-Oceania competition on July 14-19 with home ground advantage at the National Tennis Centre here. Hao Sheng tasted his first experience as captain of the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) women's squad last month and led the team to a respectable top-four finish in the Asia-Oceania Group II competition which was also held in Kuala Lumpur. "I am looking forward to being the playing captain for the Davis Cup," said Hao Sheng when met recently. "I have played in the Davis Cup many times before but this time it will be more challenging as I will also be coaching. "I will have to manage my recovery between matches more carefully as I will be on court (coaching courtside) throughout the day. "I enjoyed my experience as BJKC captain and I learnt a lot. The players, association and head coach (Muliyadi Jamal) have been very supportive of me. "Having said that, there is still a lot more I can learn in terms of understanding the players and how to communicate effectively with them." Hao Sheng is set to turn 27 later this month but has already been a staple of the national squad for almost a decade now. The Davis Cup squad will be on a mission to secure promotion after being relegated from Group III last year. The other nations in Group IV, which is the second lowest tier of the competition, are Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Iraq, Nepal, Philippines, Malaysia as well as Pacific Oceania who were relegated alongside Malaysia from Group III last season.
New Straits Times
22-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Players need more big match experience, says BJKC captain
KUALA LUMPUR: A lack of big match experience was what separated Malaysia from more established tennis nations in the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia-Oceania Group II competition which concluded here yesterday (June 21). That is the view of national team captain Koay Hao Sheng who admitted that nerves were a factor for his team during the week-long tournament. Fourth seeds Malaysia - represented by Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman (21 years old), Joleen Saw (18), Lim Zan Ning (20), Hannah Yip (22) and Iman Syuhada Abdullah (19) - lost 2-0 to second seeds Indonesia in their promotional playoff yesterday. "I believe our players are good and can play (at this level of competition), it is just that in terms of experience they are still lacking," said Hao Sheng yesterday (June 21). "They got a little bit tight during the big moments and were sometimes slow to settle into a match. "Joleen came close to winning her singles match against Indonesia but her opponent just had that extra confidence in the final set which allowed her to take the match. "People always say the host nation has an advantage but there is also pressure to win and expectations on the players shoulders. "This (nerves) can be overcome if we can give our players more exposure to higher level competitive matches so they can get used to the pressure and handle such situations better in the future. "If we can do that in the lead up to next year's BJKC, then we should have a better chance at promotion." Top seeds Mongolia won their promotional playoff against the Philippines 2-0. Malaysia had earlier finished second in group A behind Mongolia, which secured their spot in the playoffs and a top-four finish. Malaysia had lost 3-0 to Mongolia but had beaten Kyrgyzstan 2-1, Singapore 3-0 and Northern Mariana Islands 3-0 during the group stage. This is the second season in a row Malaysia has finished in the top-four. The team scored a best-ever third place finish in Group II last year when the competition used a different two-stage, round robin format. There was no decider for third-place this season. Malaysia was also missing its top ranked player Shihomi Leong, 18, who is currently on tour in Taiwan. As expected, the Philippines and Indonesia did not send their big guns to the competition. Philippines' rising star Alex Eala as well as Indonesia's Janice Tjen and Priska Nugroho did not feature in Kuala Lumpur.
New Straits Times
21-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Indonesia outplay Malaysia for Billie Jean King Cup promotion
KUALA LUMPUR: Promotion once again eluded Malaysia but the national women's tennis squad can still be proud to replicate their top-four finish from last season in the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia-Oceania Group II competition this year. Malaysia lost 2-0 in their promotional playoff against Indonesia at the National Tennis centre here today (June 21). Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman succumbed to a 6-2, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Anjali Kirana Junarto in the opening singles. Joleen Saw had Malaysian fans on the edge of their seats as she pushed Mishka Sinclaire Goenardi hard before going down 6-7 (8), 6-1, 6-4. Mongolia will join Indonesia in the Group I competition next year as they defeated Philippines 2-0 in the other promotional playoff. Malaysia had finished second behind Mongolia in group A earlier this week to qualify for the promotional playoff, which was essentially the semi-finals. A total of 10 teams competed in Group II this season. Joleen, who was reduced to tears after losing her match against Indonesia, was nevertheless proud of the team's efforts this year. "I tried my best but at the end of the day she (Mishka) made the better shots and played really well," said a visibly dejected Joleen. "The atmosphere was incredible today and I really appreciate the support we got from our home crowd. "Unfortunately we could not get the result we wanted. It is a bit disappointing, there was not much I could do. "Overall, I think we had a better chance (at promotion) than last year and our performances were quite okay. "I will continue to keep working hard to improve my game - especially my serve and footwork - and hopefully I can play again next year if I am on semester break." Joleen, 18, is set to join the University of Pennsylvania later this year where she will both study and play collegiate tennis. The national squad finished third in the Group II competition last year - Malaysia's best-ever performance in the history of the competition - when it featured a different two-phase, round robin format. There was no playoff for third place this season.
New Straits Times
20-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
BJKC: Malaysia book semi-final date with Indonesia
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia confirmed their spot in the semi-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia-Oceania Group II competition following a 3-0 win over Singapore at the National Tennis Centre on Friday. Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman earned Malaysia's opening point with a straightforward 6-0, 6-2 win over Sophie Chua. Joleen Saw then secured Malaysia an unassailable 2-0 lead with a hard-earned 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) win over Eva Marie Desvignes. Elsa then teamed up with Hannah Yip to whip Audey Tong-Erin Lee 6-2, 6-0 and seal Malaysia a 3-0 win. The start of the group A tie was delayed due to heavy rain in the morning. The win was enough for Malaysia to finish second in Group A and qualify for the semi-finals. Malaysia, seeded fourth, will face Indonesia for a spot in the final on Saturday. The other semi-final will feature Mongolia against the Philippines. The Philippines defeated Pacific Oceania 2-1 to finish second behind Indonesia in Group B.
New Straits Times
19-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Malaysia advance in BJKC
KUALA LUMPUR: The national women's tennis team took a step closer to qualifying for the semi-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia-Oceania Group II competition today. They defeated Northern Mariana Islands 3-0 to secure their second win in the tournament at the National Tennis Centre. Malaysia beat Kyrgyzstan 2-1 on Monday but lost 3-0 to top seeds Mongolia yesterday. Lim Zan Ning delivered the opening point for Malaysia against Northern Mariana Islands with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Iris Chung. Joleen Saw then gave Malaysia an unassailable 2-0 lead after beating Anne Lee 6-0, 6-1. Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman and Hannah Yip then teamed up to beat Serin Chung-Hannah Chae 6-1, 6-0 and complete Malaysia's 3-0 win.
